Review: Petite Noir, ‘La Vie Est Belle/Life Is Beautiful’
A bright new star from South Africa, Yannick Ilunga doesn’t need to be sonically tethered to his African roots to gather notice in rock and electronic-music circles.
Category: Music Reviews
Review: Gary Clark Jr., ‘The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim’
Cool and in control, Clark can shed his voice’s earthier timbre and slide into a dreamy falsetto at will. That makes for a striking contrast with his turbulent guitar attack.
Review: Dam-Funk, ‘Invite The Light’
The man born Damon Riddick makes an epic 20-song album that draws on the entire history of funk. Six years in the making, Invite The Light has a sound that’s almost impossible to pin down.
Review: Joan Shelley, ‘Over And Even’
Songs on the Kentucky folk singer’s second album sound ancient and true, even on first hearing.
Review: Cécile McLorin Salvant, ‘For One To Love’
Salvant explores the quaint art of jazz singing, but with her own aesthetic idiosyncrasies intact. Her toolbox contains anywhere from a rich, husky voice to one that tiptoes theatrically, girlishly.
First Listen: Lou Barlow, ‘Brace The Wave’
Brace The Wave keeps the Sebadoh singer’s sound stripped to its barren bones, an approach suited to the pleas and confessions therein.
First Listen: Diane Coffee, ‘Everybody’s A Good Dog’
Foxygen’s Shaun Fleming aspires to a ’70s ideal that rolls up sugarcoated bubblegum glam, soul balladry, Francophone pop and echoes of the Brill Building.
Review: The Arcs, ‘Yours, Dreamily’
In his new band, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach plays immersive, funky R&B and soul that’s embellished with velvety harmonies, hissy tape recordings and lip-curling attitude.
Review: Royal Headache, ‘High’
The Australian band’s soulful, Motown-worthy punk poetry sounds simple and direct on its second album, whose innate momentum makes even the calmest moments feel tense.
First Listen: Anna Thorvaldsdottír, ‘In The Light Of Air’
With flashes of lyricism, a young composer excels at weaving sound textures together to create distinct atmospheres. Hear the album, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Review: Ruby Amanfu, ‘Standing Still’
Amanfu has performed alongside Jack White, among many others. The singer takes another step into the foreground on her first solo album, which showcases her incredible interpretive gifts.
Review: Destroyer, ‘Poison Season’
On his 10th album as Destroyer, Dan Bejar keeps mining discarded sounds and reclaiming them, recalling everyone from Harry Nilsson to Clarence Clemons.
Review: Christian Rich, ‘FW14’
Best known for hard-hitting hip-hop beats, the Nigeria-raised, L.A.-based production duo uses its debut album to showcase its ability to flip the script — again and again and again.
Review: The Foreign Exchange, ‘Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey’
The duo delivers an R&B album that is as fun as it is grown-up.
![Mick Jenkins' new mixtape, Wave[s], is out August 21.](../../../../wp-content/uploads/2015/08/mick-jenkins_wide-9c4a731d101bf7313e7138088b89c34898b7adb1-435x247.jpg)
Review: Mick Jenkins, ‘Wave[s]’
The Chicago rapper’s latest H2O-themed project is evidence that being smart doesn’t have to mean being stiff.
First Listen: Arturo O’Farrill, ‘Cuba: The Conversation Continues’
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s perfectly timed collaboration between U.S. and Cuban musicians features cutting-edge works by a carefully selected group of composers.
Review: Teen Daze, ‘Morning World’
After recording a string of albums in his bedroom, Teen Daze emerges as a full-fledged indie-pop frontman on his new album, produced by John Vanderslice.
Review: Palehound, ‘Dry Food’
Ellen Kempner and her band document a fraught transition from childhood to adulthood — and do a great job, in part because they’re still living through the process.
Review: Grace Potter, ‘Midnight’
On the singer’s new album, a departure from the rootsy sounds of her albums with the Nocturnals, pop-rock music gets a real kick in its cherry-red pants.
First Listen: CFCF, ‘The Colours Of Life’
On his new album, Montreal musician and producer Michael Silver brings his diverse sounds together to form a sumptuous whole that draws extensively on the music of the 1980s.